MLB's New Commissioner Is Open To Banning Defensive Shifts To Increase Scoring—Here's A Simple Way To Do It

In a recent interview with
ESPN, new Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred
said, in an effort to increase scoring, he is open to banning one
of the biggest changes to the sport in recent years, the
increased use of defensive shifts.

This includes the defensive shift, where players move from their
traditional spot on the field to an area where the batter hits
the ball more often. Joe Maddon, as manager of the Tampa Bay
Rays, is often credited for starting the trend.

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

On the surface, the notion of banning shifts is head-scratching
as there are no boundaries within a baseball field that could be
used to limit where players can stand.

However, even without clearly-marked zones there is a way to
"ban" defensive shifts, or more accurately, to limit player
movement, and MLB can look to the NFL for inspiration.

The NFL has a rule that requires teams to have at least four
players on each side of the kicker during a kickoff. This rule is
designed to keep teams from having ten guys one one side during
an onside kick.

The equivalent in baseball would be to require the defense to
have at least three players on each side of the pitcher.

In other words, the first baseman, second baseman, and right
fielder would always be to the right of the pitcher, the third
baseman, shortstop, and left fielder would always be to the left
of the pitcher, and the center fielder would be free to go to
either side.

Getty Images

The plan is not perfect and would not ban shifts completely. For
example, a team could still use three players on one side of the
infield with a single outfielder. However, the additional
"infielder" would likely be an outfielder not used to playing
close to the plate and the shift would often leave the team
exposed in the outfield, either with just two outfielders or with
an infielder not used to playing in the outfield.

Still, it is a simple solution that would have an impact and is
likely the only way to limit the movement of defenders short of
adding more lines to the field or the equivalent of football
field hash marks.